Finally decided that i want a big bike.

LEUVEN · 1 Aug 2012 at 18:53

After riding my ybr 125 for over a year, I decided enough was enough and booked my theory test at the beggining of june.
Had a quick look at hazard perception videos online and just went for it. Passed first g

o.
Went straight to the training school on the way back from the test centre to book :cool:

some lessons etc.
Had a few lessons, booked mod 1 and passed with one minor.
One lesson later and mod 2 booked for thursday last week. And passed

went to the bike shop last friday and got my first big bike on saturday :cool:

4T5 · 1 Aug 2012 at 19:07

Welcome to the club but What bike you bought & where are the ******* pics. :mad:

LEUVEN · 2 Aug 2012 at 00:26

I can get some pics up on saturday as im working till then. I bought an R1 in blue with black rims

Snaggle · 2 Aug 2012 at 00:51

YBR TO R1? Thanks gonna end well lol

LEUVEN · 2 Aug 2012 at 01:24

Persil said:
YBR TO R1? Thanks gonna end well lol

What makes you so sure of that?

bloodiedathame · 2 Aug 2012 at 01:29

How you finding it?

From a personal point I went from 125>400>600 and the rush you get every time you step up a class is great. 125>1000 means you miss out on all the fun you'd get in smaller doses on smaller engined bikes. Still though, nowt wrong with that.

LEUVEN · 2 Aug 2012 at 01:54

To be honest i may only be getting half of the performance out of it right now so i wont miss out completely on the step up. itll just be more of a slide up as i learn the bike and how it reacts.
I also know me and that while sensible enough i would soon get used to the power of something smalle
even riding back from the mod 2 test confirmed it for me as we came back on the motorway and some a roads and i was already yearning for more power from the er6n.
whilst im no rossi, stoner etc i knew it wouldnt be long before i had to sell up and get a bigger bike if i got a 600 or similar. plus im not exactly small and light son need a bigger bike to look normal on and to move my "substantial" frame.
Having spent most of last weekend riding in the rain im looing forward to getting some dry riding done

Morbius · 2 Aug 2012 at 10:54

I'd have thought the insurance on an R1 would be a crippler for a new rider.

pugheaven · 2 Aug 2012 at 12:19

LEUVEN said:
I can get some pics up on saturday as im working till then. I bought an R1 in blue with black rims

I'm liking your balls, no dicking about, just straight in there... man I need pics mate... hope you're enjoying it and we might have some nice weather over next day or two as well...

wazza300 · 2 Aug 2012 at 13:05

doesnt matter how powerfull the machine is,its only as fast as you make it

just be carefull on it,the weight difference will take some getting used to

pugheaven · 2 Aug 2012 at 13:10

Agreed, it's you that pulls the throttle, no one else is to blame... hence why I just went 100bhp+ 600 in the end and not a 65-70bhp bike... I didn't want a 1000cc tbh though simply because from a couple of friends who own 1000's, R1's funnily enough, they said the 600cc is a better road bike as it's easier to flick and have fun... but they went 1000cc for bragging rights and out and out power lol. At the end of the day a 100bhp 600 will keep up with anything on the twisties I'd imagine in the right hands (possibly even pull away?)... I mean, look at the difference in TT times now from super sport to super bikes? Bog all over 35+ miles really average speed...

I don't think I'll be getting shut of my 600 for some time... bought on 8921 and now on 12k and ready for a service me thinks... only had the thing since May lol... now if this rain would **** off, I can get out on it again.

wazza300 · 2 Aug 2012 at 13:48

a 600cc is all you need imo,1000cc are too heavy on fuel for my liking,plus you save a bit on tax/insurance

Lt_Red · 2 Aug 2012 at 13:56

Holy.... wtf? I admire your testicular fortitude

Just remember that the throttle is NOT your friend, the clutch is; i.e. feed the power in with the clutch - at least for the first couple of weeks.

GL HF!

[edit] the thing about the 600 vs 1k argument is that yes whilst the 600's can no doubt keep up with and often surpass in the twisties, quite often the 1k's have better brakes, better suspension, better geometry, and those can be a life saver. Its all a trade off really.

Souleh · 2 Aug 2012 at 15:27

Dont know if i'd agree with that...

Maybe in the 600/1000 vs 125/250/400 comparison but if you look at the any 600/1000 in the last 8 years then nearly most are sharing calipers, master cylinders and forks and those that arent the same are still more than capable for 95% of road riders. Forks are adjustable on rebound/comp/preload accross the board but I bet most don't have it set up correctly.
Also, you might find 600's are a bit lighter and easier stopped and easier moved about due to nature.

Personally id say go for a 600. Its more than enough power to get you into trouble.. ~165 mph? Youll only notice the power difference at 100mph+ in a 1000 in most cases.

A good 600 rider will muller a 1000 on the track nevermind the road. Chopping at the throttle (As most newcomers do) is a very dangerous game, if youre mid corner and you decide to turn off all power then the whole bike unsettles and can very easily lowside.

For me the main difference I think youll notice will be tyres. A 1000 will chew a line through the middle of a 190 in no time.

If, however, its for the "I ride a thou" then fill your boots.

(I do know of a yamaha dealer who have refused to sell R1's to newcomer riders too, must be some stats behind it.)

LEUVEN · 2 Aug 2012 at 15:36

Yeah insurance isnt cheap but i have one year riding on the ybr and after another year in 12 months it really wont be much dearer to insure than a sporty hatch so will be fine. the sooner the big hit is out of the way the sooner it gets cheaper.
I originally thought that an r6 may be more sensible but performance to 100mph is not that much in real world terms and i would look a bit big for the narrower 600, also if my instructors think ill handle a 1l bike fine and would look silly on a smaller bike then getting a "dream bike" is the right choice.
Hopefully it will stay dry so i dont have to spend all day riding in the heavy rain again all weekend.

LEUVEN · 2 Aug 2012 at 15:45

Just to make it 100% clear that i did not for 1 second want an R1 for bragging rights and i know enough about throttle control and brake control to know that it's not ON or OFF.
Also wanting a certain bike because i would get beaten on the road is a path i dont want nor need to care about as it shouldnt be the basis of a purchase IMO

Souleh · 2 Aug 2012 at 16:06

Have you seen the r6 and r1 side by side? Theyre more or less identical in sizing terms. What height are you?

If its your dream bike then by all means, get it and love it. Its an amazing machine. That big bang engine sound is something else aswell.

Im just saying if youre buying based on performance or similar then youre jumping the gun a bit imo and itll not help you. Ive seen so many riders on big bikes who couldnt go round a corner to save their lives and this does count if you have to dodge something. The big bike teachs you to be lazy as you dont need to worry about corner speed, sure you can open it up on the straight..

I jumped from a 11bhp 125 4 stroke to a 636cc zx6r and would recommend it to anyone but I know rightly that when I jumped on to it- it was far more of a machine than I was a rider. Going from 11bhp to ~100bhp is one thing, jumping onto a nearly 200bhp machine is a different league entirely.

Ride them both. See how you feel. Looking forward to seeing whatever machine you end up on

Morbius · 2 Aug 2012 at 16:17

Souleh said:
Have you seen the r6 and r1 side by side? Theyre more or less identical in sizing terms. What height are you?

The R125 I believe is actually marginally bigger than the R6.

Brackish · 2 Aug 2012 at 16:47

First of all, huge well done on passing!!

Now it is not often I would say this, but going from a 125 to an R1 is just bonkers and the mentioned Yamaha garage has the right idea. Sorry if I have offended or upset you, it is just my opinion!

But fair play if it is a dream bike and to really make your dream a big wet one go do the Enhanced Rider Scheme or join an IAM group so you can really learn how to ride. I have my first ride on Sunday with my local IAM group and I am looking forward to it.

4T5 · 2 Aug 2012 at 16:59

I think the funniest thing is calling an R1 a big bike, It's big alright if you are talking power/speed etc but it's tiny if you are talking size. My ZX7R was tiny for me at 6ft5 & R1's feel even smaller & to me feel like they haven't got a front end as I am so far over it.
I don't think what we say will matter though as it didn't when I went out & bought my Ninja.